


Character Commentary: Miraculous Ladybug

by CassLynn412



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:01:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25596205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassLynn412/pseuds/CassLynn412
Summary: This isn't really a story, more of a documentation of the evolution of my original Miraculous Characters from the Eagle Miraculous Series. It will also have excerpts from old pieces of writing that showcase just how much the characters have changed since their original concepts.Also has my own take on writing some of the characters from the show and how I feel about them.





	1. Casey Barbereau

Casey's character was first created back in 2017, and she was _vastly_ different from the Casey that shows up in Eagle's Wings. First, Casey's name didn't start out as Barbereau, it started out as Asbetera (looking back on it, the idea makes me cringe. I don't know how I came up with that name), and she wasn't nineteen in her first story. She was the same age as Adrien and Marinette and moved to Paris from Domfront, France. Casey's backstory did not include moving around from place to place in her original story and she never lived in England. She wasn't even a mechanic in her first story, but an artist like Nathaniel. That detail changed as I began to write more and more about Casey for a variety of reasons, one being that so many of the characters in the show were already artists and it felt like copying and pasting, and another being that it just didn't fit with her personality the more I wrote. 

Casey's physical appearance wasn't so different in her first story. Instead of the grey eyes that she has today, she used to have green eyes and her hair was naturally red instead of blonde. The reason for that being? In her first story, Casey wasn't the eldest daughter of Gabriel. She was just a girl who moved to Paris and happened to have the Eagle Miraculous. And Casey's reason to moving to Paris actually had to do with Daisy. There will be more about just what happened to Daisy in her own chapter. The main point is that the situation created a lot of stress for Casey and her parents sent her to Paris to live with Felice for a little bit. 

One plot point that was in Casey's original story was that Hawkmoth did have an interest in her and her Miraculous. Hawkmoth was interested in Casey as he attempted to akumatize her, but rather than turn her into a villain, the akuma entered a locket Casey had received as a gift from Daisy and became dormant. Casey didn't really resist the akuma, more put off being turned into a villain. He was also interested in Casey's hero persona, Soarin, which would later become the name for Daisy's hero persona. The interest stemmed from Soarin's inability to control Spirit Wind. Sound familiar? Her inability to control Spirit Wind had a nasty after affect of causing freak windstorms and she sought out Ladybug and Chat Noir to ask for them to help her learn how to handle it. 

Here's an excerpt from an encounter Ladybug, Chat Noir and Soarin had with Volpina:

> Their conversation was interrupted by the appearance of Volpina. She was making another attempt to get their miraculous. Soarin’ was the first to meet Volpina. Ladybug and Chat Noir were with her quickly. 
> 
> “You know, this match hardly seems fair,” Volpina stated. 
> 
> “Who said you’re supposed to have a fair fight?” Soarin’ retorted. “If that’s what you wanted you should’ve brought your boss.” 
> 
> “Speaking of Hawk Moth, we have a little proposition for you,” Volpina replied with a sly grin. “It wasn’t hard for us to find out about your activities in Domfront.” 
> 
> Soarin tensed up at the mention of the town. Ladybug and Chat Noir glanced from her to the vixen. 
> 
> “We all know you can’t control that little power of yours,” Volpina taunted. “Join Hawk Moth and we’ll help you out.” 
> 
> “Let me think about it. I’ll pass, I’ve already got all the help I need,” Soarin exclaimed. 
> 
> Volpina growled at them before charging at Soarin, only to be intercepted by Ladybug. Chat and Soarin quickly joined Ladybug, working as a team. Ladybug would attack, then retreat. Then Chat would attack and pass it off to Soarin. The pattern continued until Volpina summoned another army of illusions. They had no way to determine where Volpina was. 
> 
> “I’ve got an idea!” Soarin’ called. “Let me use my power!” 
> 
> “You can’t control it!” Chat Noir called back. 
> 
> “I can try,” Soarin replied. “What’s the verdict?” 
> 
> “Chat, we don’t have a lot of options,” Ladybug stated. “Soarin, do it!” 
> 
> “Spirit Wind!” 
> 
> Chat and Ladybug felt an instant whirlwind develop. It literally passed through their bodies, and they felt a sense of adrenaline and exhilaration. Soarin was in the middle of the whirlwind, with a smile on her face. She had control, it was working! The volpinas disappeared until one remained. The charm around her neck was beginning to glow. Soarin took a deep breath and let the wind pass over her. 
> 
> “Good luck keeping that wind in check!” Volpina taunted. “It’ll end up just like the winds in that poor little town!” 
> 
> Soarin tried to ignore the taunts, to keep her concentration, but the words caused a sudden feeling of anxiety to fill her. Ladybug and Chat Noir glanced at her with worry as the winds grew more erratic. Volpina had an evil grin plastered to her face and she vanished. 
> 
> “Soarin you have to keep calm!” Ladybug called. “You were controlling it and you still can!” 
> 
> “I’m trying!” 
> 
> The wind got stronger, despite Soarin’s efforts. Chat and Ladybug gave her words of encouragement, but they seemed to help very little. The wind seemed like it would grow into a twister until Soarin finally got a hold of her emotions and willed the wind to dissipate. She fell to her knees as soon as the wind was gone, completely exhausted. Chat and Ladybug quickly went to help her up. Soarin’s forehead was drenched in sweat. 
> 
> “That was a first,” She chuckled. 
> 
> “A first for what, exactly?” Chat Noir asked. 
> 
> “First time I ever gained control after losing it,” Soarin replied. 
> 
> “I think that means you’re making headway,” Ladybug commented. “You seemed in control of it at the beginning. You should head out. You'll detransform soon.” 
> 
> Soarin didn’t argue and took to the sky. When she left, Ladybug’s brow creased. Soarin was from Domfront? There was no way that was a coincidence. 
> 
> “What are you thinking?” Chat asked. 
> 
> “I’m thinking that there’s more to Soarin than meets the eye,” Ladybug answered. “I’ve got to go. Bug out!”

Another thing about the first story is that Casey's secret identity didn't stay secret for very long. Marinette started putting the pieces together about her identity rather quickly and Casey was eventually forced to reveal her identity in front of Hawkmoth.

The idea for Casey being an Agreste developed over an idea from the first story of her and Adrien having a sibling-like relationship, similar to that of the early versions of Plagg and Tali's interactions. I started to officially write an idea about it in 2018 titled _The Daughter of Hawkmoth_. This was the first idea where Casey was aged up, being two to three years older than Adrien and Marinette and was forced to move in with her aunt after being kicked out of her home in Domfront by her step-father. She would come to Paris, knowing that her birth father lived there, but not who he was. Eventually, Casey would piece together that Hawkmoth was her father and her mother would tell her that she couldn't let Hawkmoth know. Gabriel also wasn't a _horrible_ father, but this was written before season three and before I realized that Gabriel is probably the most selfish and toxic character in Miraculous.

> Casey had found that working with Ladybug and Chat Noir was really good and she managed to make it work with everything else in her life. They were patrolling the rooftops of Paris when a new akuma popped up. Casey watched it warily. The person had been fired from the news station after having a coworker feed them false information. Casey watched as they made person after person tell the truth. 
> 
> “Watch out for those attacks,” Ladybug advised. “We can’t allow any of us to reveal our identities to Hawk Moth.” 
> 
> “No need to tell me,” Casey replied. 
> 
> They launched into an attack. Casey was careful in summoning the wind. If she summoned too much she would be left vulnerable. The akuma was fast. Every dodge was a little too close for Casey’s comfort. Suddenly, Chat Noir tripped. 
> 
> “Look out!” Casey cried, intercepting a blast from the akuma. 
> 
> White light outlined Casey. She fought to keep her mouth shut. The Akuma began asking her the same question over and over. Keeping herself from blurting out the truth was agonizing. 
> 
> “Don’t tell them Soarin’!” Ladybug exclaimed. 
> 
> “Who are you?!” the akuma roared. 
> 
> Casey clutched her chest. Her mind was stuck between two answers. Either her real name or the one thing her mother had never wanted her to tell anyone…
> 
> “Who are you?!” 
> 
> Casey gritted her teeth, but the answer came flying out of her mouth. “I am the daughter of Hawk Moth!” 
> 
> The three people around Casey froze as the white light faded. Casey glanced at the horror struck looks on her teammates faces. She summoned one final gust of wind and stole the akumatized object from the supervillain. She destroyed it without a second thought. Ladybug came out of her stupor and purified it. The heroes regrouped on a rooftop. 
> 
> “You’re the daughter of Hawk Moth?!” Chat Noir exclaimed. 
> 
> “Try not to let the whole of Paris know!” Casey hissed.
> 
> “Why didn’t you tell us?” Ladybug demanded.

It was in _The Daughter of Hawkmoth_ that Casey's conflict regarding her control over Spirit Wind was scrapped and where the idea of the Eagle Miraculous being passed down mother to daughter originated. It was also where the beginnings of Casey's job as a mechanic popped up. She would eventually be hired by Gabriel to run maintenance in the Agreste Mansion for anything and everything that was technological. He did it at the request of Adrien, who learned about Casey's situation with Felice and the rest of her family. This story really solidified Casey's more stubborn and independent personality traits and brought about her first change in character design, giving her the same eyes as Gabriel. The beginning of saturation was in this story, though it wasn't called saturation and did not have the potential to kill holders and/or zap them inside of a miraculous. It also had the introduction of two companions for Casey, one being a wind griffon named Snapper and the other being an A.I named Captain. The idea for Captain was scrapped for the same reasons that Casey's original hobby of drawing was scrapped. Snapper was scrapped simply because it seemed unlikely for a creature like that to exist in the Miraculous Universe and there was no good way to incorporate him into the final Eagle Miraculous Series.

When writing began for _Eagle's Wing_ , Casey's character finally felt solidified. She was aged up to be five years older than Adrien, head-strong, loyal to her family and introduced her swearing habit. It was also included her final physical alteration: her blonde hair, courtesy of Gabriel. Her last name was changed to Barbereau, she was given a strong motivation to come to Paris in order to pursue justice for her mother and the idea of saturation was fully developed to add some stakes to Casey's conflict with Hawkmoth and Mayura.

_Winds of Change_ really saw what Casey would do for her family. I could not be happier with how it turned out. Exploring Casey's relationships was definitely a highlight. Not just her relationship with Adrien, but also her relationships with Gabriel, Charlie and Danny. With her relationship with Adrien, the foundations were already there, it was just a matter of building them up naturally, especially when I got into writing Lila's downfall. I wanted Adrien to have the satisfaction of setting everything in motion, of seeing Lila fall from her tower because of what he and Marinette did through patience and honesty. They did all the hard work and took care of Lila's lies, Casey just stepped in when it came time for the adults to get involved. Their relationship was Casey taking on the role of a sister and mentor to help Adrien establish the skills that he was never able to fully learn while being raised by Gabriel. Casey wanted to be everything for Adrien that Gabriel never was. She wanted to be present, to give him freedom and to make sure that he never doubted how much she cared. 

I would love to unpack everything that went through my mind while writing Gabriel and Casey's dynamic, but that's an insane amount of analysis, so I'll be saving that for it's own chapter. I'll also be saving discussion on Charlie and Danny for another chapter as well.


	2. Daisy Burton

Daisy's character and story was one of the most changed of all of my characters. In the first story, Daisy never made an actual appearance. She was only mentioned by Casey to the main cast, but her impact was still incredibly large. Like Casey, her last name was Asbetera in the beginning, and it didn't change to Burton until _Eagle's Wings_. 

Daisy's role in the first story was as Casey's ailing little sister. She was ten years old and her original story was that she was born with a medical condition that significantly decreased her life expectancy and she died shortly after Casey moved to Paris. Despite never having any actual lines of dialogue in the story, there was quite a bit that could be gathered about Daisy's personality.

> Dear Casey, 
> 
> The doctors said it wouldn’t be a bad idea for me to write letters to family members for when the worst comes. I don’t know why they keep saying that, I know I’ll get through it, and you and me will go riding through the woods again soon. Still, here it goes. So if you’re reading this, then the doctors were right, but don’t be sad, Casey. Nothing can separate us, not even something as silly as death. After all, we’re sisters, and we’ll be seeing each other again. I wanted to tell you about a dream I had. There was a big open field, and there was this angel, and she looked like you! I know you’re not an angel, but it was soo real! You and me went flying everywhere, and we landed at this huge gate! I asked what was going on, and you said that you’d brought me home. It was beautiful, and I asked why you weren’t coming. You said your job wasn’t done yet.
> 
> Casey, I know you’ve got a job, just don’t forget me. One day we’ll meet again, when you come home too! Then maybe you’ll be a real angel! I wish you were here with me, and I wish you didn’t need to go away, but I know why. I’m always with you, ok Casey? There’s no reason to cry, because if I’m home, then I’m not sick anymore, and you’re gonna come home one day too!
> 
> I hope you smile when you read this.
> 
> With love, 
> 
> Daisy

She was incredibly optimistic and had a wild imagination. Daisy also loved to laugh, and Casey loved to make her laugh. Daisy was first written as being a redhead like Casey, with bright, blue eyes. It would be Daisy's death in the first story that brought Casey and Adrien closer, making them like family to each other, as Casey asked Adrien to visit Daisy's grave with her.

> Casey couldn’t stop herself from letting a few tears escape. A meek smile curled onto her lips as she stared at the small stone. There was a hand placed on her shoulder and she saw Adrien giving her a sorrowful smile. 
> 
> “Thanks for coming with me,” Casey said. “It means a lot.”
> 
> “I don’t want you going through this alone,” Adrien stated. “Can I talk to her? I know I didn’t know her…” 
> 
> “I think she’d like that.” 
> 
> Adrien felt his smile widen just a little and he turned his gaze back to the stone. “Hi there Daisy. I’m Adrien. I just want you to know that your sister won’t be going anywhere alone anytime soon. She’s got lots of friends in Paris that would give a limb for her. She’s in good hands. I’ll look after her just like a brother.” 
> 
> Casey was shocked for a moment and gaped at Adrien. He would do that for her? Her heart lightened just a little more. He would be her brother. Casey hugged Adrien tightly, letting all her tears fall. 
> 
> “Thank you,” She whispered.

In _The Daughter of Hawkmoth_ , Daisy is alive and well and was also written to be seven years old. As I continued to develop Casey's backstory, it became a bit too heavy to include having her little sister die. After all, a complex backstory does not mean it has to be a tragic backstory. Daisy still didn't get a lot of time to really interact with characters in the story, but _The Daughter of Hawkmoth_ added her more energetic nature as well as her first physical changes. Daisy's design was changed to give her dirty-blonde hair and green eyes.

> “So...What’s your family like?” Adrien asked, trying to start a conversation. 
> 
> “Uh...well, there’s my mom,” Casey answered. “She’s really cool, nice and a bit of a spitfire. My little sister, Daisy. She’s pretty hyperactive, really sweet and just...a kid.”
> 
> “What about your father?” Adrien inquired.
> 
> Casey stared at her hands. “We don’t get along real well.”

> A buzzing came from Casey’s pocket. She glanced at the screen and the picture on her phone was one of a woman that Casey was almost an exact copy of, except for the green eyes. In her arms, the woman was holding a seven year old girl with dirty blonde hair and big green eyes. 
> 
> “Hello?” Casey asked hopefully into the phone.
> 
> “It’s Mom,” a woman spoke from the other end. “I just wanted to call and see how everything is. Did you make it to Aunt Felice’s?”
> 
> “Yeah, I’m fine,” Casey answered. “How’s everything going with Daisy and Charles?”
> 
> “Casey, I’m trying to get him to come to his senses,” the woman replied. “As for Daisy...she misses you a lot. I know it’s only been a few days…” 
> 
> “I miss you guys too,” Casey said sadly. “Tali and I are trying to settle in. I haven’t let Snapper out yet though.”
> 
> “You make sure to give him lots of exercise,” her mother ordered sternly. “You know how Snapper gets when he’s cooped up too long.”
> 
> “Don’t worry Mom, I can handle Snapper,” Casey assured her. “...How’s Daisy taking everything?” 
> 
> Her mother sighed. “She doesn’t quite understand what’s going on. You know we never really discussed the matter with her."

It was in _Eagle's Wings_ that I discovered just how much I love writing sibling relationships and gave Daisy a lot more time with the other characters. It was also the first story where Daisy knew that Casey had a Miraculous. She was aged back to ten years old, and her hair was changed to be black and curly. It was _Soarin' Higher_ where Daisy's character really got to shine. I never originally planned for Daisy to get a Miraculous until I was finishing _Eagle's Wings_ and Casey's fate began to solidify. Designing her hero costume was an interesting challenge. I didn't want it to be a rip-off of Casey's, but I also wanted to keep some themes the same, hence the similarities of the feathered masks and skirts, but where Casey had a hood, Daisy had a cape and Casey had gauntlets, while Daisy did not. _Soarin' Higher_ also helped flesh out the final aspects of Daisy's character. She kept her energetic nature, but also became driven, determined, headstrong and incredibly accepting and protective of her family. I will never forget the satisfaction of writing the scene where Daisy punched Lila. It will always be one of my favorites. 


	3. Charles and Evelyn Burton

The first iteration of Charles and Evelyn was vastly different from the husband and wife duo that appeared in _Eagle's Wings_. A lot of their changes were linked, which is why they share a chapter. I didn't even realize that their characters had changed so much until I looked back at the first story. Evelyn's physical design didn't change much, though Charles did start out with dirty-blond hair and blue eyes, like Daisy's first design, though he was given black hair and brown eyes in _Eagle's Wings_. Evelyn's name, however, did change. In the first story involving Casey, Evelyn's name was Gena. 

Gena and Charles Asbetera were not the best parents. The stress of dealing with Daisy's condition as well as the breakdown of their communication skills, inability to compromise in arguments and inability to connect with their daughters caused them to divorce shortly after Daisy's death, though they did not tell this to Casey until they came to see her in Paris and attempted to get her to pick between them. Casey ultimately decided to stay in Paris with Felice, being sick of her parents' inability to communicate with her. They also bring this argument up just after Casey escapes from being Hawkmoth's prisoner for a few days, so Casey was already incredibly distressed. 

> Casey woke up Sunday morning to the voices of her family in the living room. She got herself out of bed and rubbed her arms, feeling the hoodie Marinette had made for her. She stood in the hallway for a moment, listening to the raised voices. 
> 
> “After all that’s happened, you two are still arguing about this?!” Aunt Felice shouted. “Honestly, just leave the decision to Casey! She’s old enough to make up her own mind!” 
> 
> “This isn’t your discussion, Felice!” Gena snapped. 
> 
> Aunt Felice’s voice raised even more as she retorted. “I’m her guardian, therefore it IS.” 
> 
> “What’s with all the yelling?” Casey yawned, coming into the living room. 
> 
> “Just pack your things, you’re coming with me to America,” Charles ordered.
> 
> Her mother’s eyes glowed with fury. “She’s not going with you. She’s going with me to Domfront.” 
> 
> “What’s going on?” Casey asked harshly.
> 
> “You’re parents neglected to tell you in their letters that they’re getting divorced,” Aunt Felice stated bluntly. “And now they both think they’re entitled to full custody of you.”
> 
> Casey kept looking between her parents, who refused to deny the statement. 
> 
> “Are you kidding me?! First, you both become the most closed off parents after Daisy’s diagnosed, she dies, then you neglect to tell me that you’re getting divorced?! Then you tell me that one of you is taking me somewhere else after I’ve JUST gotten home from three days as a maniac’s prisoner?! Seriously, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you just came to Paris to make yourselves look good.” 
> 
> Her parents looked at her with shock written all over their faces. Casey was normally much calmer, but now she’d had it! She questioned whether they ever even loved each other in their marriage. Her mind was a befuddled mess as is, but her parents just kept adding onto that mess.
> 
> “I’m not going to Domfront,” Casey stated firmly. “There’s no way I can go back after everything that’s happened.” 
> 
> Her father’s face radiated happiness and he quickly got to the plan.“Then pack your things and we’ll book the first flight-” 
> 
> Casey cut him off before he could finish his half-baked plan. “I’m not going to America either. Aunt Felice said it perfectly. I’m fifteen, I can make my own choices, and I’m staying here.” 
> 
> Both parents looked from Felice to Casey. Why would their daughter not want to come with one of them?! Casey crossed her arms and stood firmly in front of her parents. Felice filled with a small bit of pride. Her niece chose her. That pride was soon replaced with worry as Charles walked up to his daughter and began shaking her. 
> 
> “You cannot stay with Felice!” He ordered, gripping her arms tightly. 
> 
> Casey began wincing as her father pressed on her bruises. “Dad, stop it! That hurts!” 
> 
> Charles wasn’t paying attention to his daughter’s cries. He kept shaking her, thinking that it would make her change her mind. 
> 
> “Dad, stop!” Casey cried, pushing away from him, lightly rubbing her arms.
> 
> Her father was astonished that Casey would pull away from him. “Casey, I’m your father…” 
> 
> “Well you aren’t acting like it!” She snapped. “I told you that it hurt, you kept doing it. You think that just because I’m your daughter I’ll do everything for you! Well, I’m not uprooting what I’ve built here just so you can laugh at Mom.” 

Hawkmoth ended up taking advantage of the negative emotions in Gena and akumatized her into a villain named Grave Digger and manipulated her into trying to destroy Casey. Eventually, Gena fought against Hawkmoth's control, but in the end, Hawkmoth killed Gena. Meanwhile, Charles moved to New York and tried to rebuild his life. Charles would eventually remarry a woman named Alexa and Casey would gain two step brothers named Richard and Freddie, though Casey would only meet them once before cutting ties with Charles after visiting New York at his request. Casey would cut ties due to Charles' lack of communication with Casey and general animosity between her and her step-mother. These events would take place in a one-shot that happened two years after Casey moved to Paris. 

_The Daughter of Hawkmoth_ brought more redeeming qualities to Gena and she became more of an early, under-developed version of Evelyn. This version of Gena would know that Casey had the Eagle Miraculous and was responsible for training her before Casey moved to Paris and did her best to support Casey from Domfront.

> “How could you be so foolish?” Felice scolded. “You were told very specifically-” 
> 
> “It was either that or Chat Noir would’ve given up his identity,” Casey replied defensively. “Hawk Moth doesn’t care about who I am, but he wants Ladybug and Chat’s miraculous. I couldn’t let him find out who Chat Noir really is.”
> 
> "Do you realise what could happen now that Hawk Moth knows?” Felice asked. 
> 
> Casey shook her head. 
> 
> “Call your mother and ask her,” Felice stated. “She can explain it better than me.” 
> 
> Casey nodded and pulled out her cell phone and dialed home. She waited nervously as someone picked it up.
> 
> “Who is this?” Charles answered.
> 
> “Put on Mom,” Casey ordered.
> 
> “I told you to stop calling,” Charles replied sharply. 
> 
> “You can’t stop me from calling my mother,” Casey snapped. “Now put her on.”
> 
> There was a brief moment of silence on the other side of the line, broken by the sound of Gena's voice.
> 
> “What is it, Casey?” Gena asked.
> 
> “Mom...he knows,” Casey stated, preparing for her mother’s reaction. 
> 
> “How?” Gena inquired frantically. 
> 
> “Truth akuma,” Casey answered briefly. “He doesn’t know my name though. Aunt Felice said something could happen. What is she talking about?” 
> 
> “Casey, you are connected to your miraculous in a very complex way that few miraculous holders can accomplish,” Gena explained. “And with the nature of Spirit Wind, it will try and pull you to fulfill a strong emotional desire, but for it to do that, it needs an open pathway. Ever since you were little, you’ve been longing for-” 
> 
> “A real father,” Casey finished, glancing fearfully at her aunt.
> 
> “That pathway wasn’t open because your birth father didn’t know you were born,” Gena continued. “Now that he knows who you are, it’s open. You Miraculous will try to draw the two of you together.” 
> 
> “How do I close the pathway?” Casey asked, panic rising in her voice.
> 
> “I don’t know, honey,” Gena replied. “You have to keep calm and try to stop longing for that connection.” 
> 
> “Mom, have you met me?!” Casey stated. “I suck at controlling my emotions. I’m one the most over-emotional people in existence!”
> 
> “Casey, you have to learn to get a grip,” Gena ordered. “There’s not much else to it. Look-”
> 
> The call was suddenly stopped. Casey glanced at the screen on her phone. She gripped it tightly. How dare Charles end a call with her mother. He had no right!

Charles' personality took on more narcissistic and perfectionist qualities in _The Daughter of Hawkmoth_. His motivation for kicking Casey out at the beginning of the story was that she was not his child, and thus, was a blemish in his family. Basically, Charles acted like Gabriel acted in _Eagle's Wings_ , using her family as a bargaining chip and attempting to lure her in with promises of acceptance to keep/gain something. For Charles, it was a tactic to attempt to keep Gena from divorcing him and moving to Paris with Daisy.

Naturally, the version of Charles in _Eagle's Wings_ is by far my favorite, the same goes with Evelyn. It was the first version that had both of them being completely aware of Casey's possession of the Eagle Miraculous and made their marital dynamic much healthier. My favorite scene to write with Evelyn was probably the scene where she finally explains her backstory with Hawkmoth to Casey and reveals that Gabriel is her father, just because, to me, it embodies just how much Evelyn loves Casey. She uprooted herself, moved from place to place, just to try and keep her safe, but she still lets Casey make the decision on her own, no matter how much it makes her worry. She just makes Casey promise to be careful. 

My favorite scene to write with Charles was by far when he talked to Casey about her birth father. He takes the time to listen to her, reassure her and reaffirm that no matter what Casey does about her birth father, he will always love her. It's just wholesome and for me, it encapsulates one of the most important things a father can do, and that's always be there when their child needs them. Charles Burton > Gabriel Agreste, no contest. But he's also my character so I might be slightly biased.

In _Winds of Change_ , Evelyn and Charles didn't get a lot of 'screen time' but when the readers did get a chance to see them, I wanted it to mean something. The scene where they give Adrien the pocket watch was short, but it was sweet. A reassurance that Adrien belonged in their family, to show that they accepted him.


	4. Felice and Josue Courbet

Felice was a staple of the series from the very beginning. Her character didn't change that much. In every story, she was Casey's loyal, supportive and caring aunt. In the first story, she took Casey in at the request of Casey's parents and did her best to help Casey whenever things got difficult. In _The Daughter of Hawkmoth_ , Felice gave Casey a place to stay after Charles kicked her out and made sure that no matter what, Casey knew that she was loved by her family. Felice was definitely the first character that was solidified. Much like Evelyn, her design never really changed. 

Josue, on the other hand, is an interesting character to look at. He actually wasn't added into the series until _Eagle's Wings_. The idea of Casey having a mentor outside of her family popped up in _The Daughter of Hawkmoth_ , once it had been settled that Casey worked with technology and machines. Casey would have had someone to instruct her and teach her the skills. If I had continued with _The Daughter of Hawkmoth_ , a character similar to Josue would probably have been added. When I began writing for Josue, I had a small image in my head of the kind of man that someone like Casey would look up to. The more I wrote, the more solid the idea for Josue became. I hadn't really planned for him to become an official part of the Burton/Barbereau family. It just sort of happened as I began finalizing _Eagle's Wings_ and got started on _Soarin' Higher_. 

Writing the two interacting with Daisy in _Soarin' Higher_ was an interesting challenge. There were so many things I wanted them to be for the story, some of which they were, some of which they weren't. I had planned to touch more on the grief everyone must have been feeling in _Soarin' Higher_ and to show Felice and Josue working with Daisy to get through their grief together, but that just wasn't how it worked out. Their roles in the second of the Eagle Trilogy were not as large as I would have liked, but I was happy with the way their interactions with Daisy turned out. 

_Winds of Change_ really gave a better chance for me to incorporate the two. Even if it was just small things, like Felice driving Casey home from therapy or Josue and Casey working in the Garage while Adrien watched or Felice watching Adrien after coming home due to his confrontation with Lila, it made them feel more present in the story. Adrien's birthday was probably my favorite chapter to include them in. They do their best to help Casey make it a good day for Adrien and make sure not to monopolize their time for the day. They are simply there for the day because they understand that for Adrien, it's enough that they take the time to just be there. 

Josue and Felice definitely rank high up as some of my favorite characters that I've created. They're a second set of parents for the three siblings and they want nothing more than to help them be happy whenever they're in Paris.


	5. Gabriel Agreste

I wanted to start with Gabriel because he's always played a big role in the Eagle stories. I used to bounce back and forth between whether or not he was a decent father and human being in the earlier stories, but then the Chat Blanc episode came out and any possibility of me ever thinking he could be even slightly decent was completely washed down the drain. 

The first story really focused more on Gabriel as Hawkmoth and not the dynamic between him and Adrien. Looking back, in my opinion, you can't really write Gabriel's character without keeping both sides in mind. You can focus solely on Hawkmoth, but then you downplay just how much he _can_ care about Adrien when he stops obsessing about Emilie and the Miraculous. You could focus solely on him being Adrien's father and actually caring for him, but then you downplay some of his more serious crimes as Hawkmoth and his obsessive nature. There's a bit of a balance with the two. That being said, in the first story, Gabriel didn't really do much until he'd been outed as Hawkmoth. He ended up killing Casey's mother, named Gena at the time, kidnapped Casey and then tried to get Gena to kill her. He takes a lot out on Casey, because if she had never stepped into the picture, maybe he could have succeeded. 

_The Daughter of Hawkmoth_ saw a slight change to Gabriel's character. While the first story focused more on him being Hawkmoth, this story focused on him being a father. He isn't as cold as he is in cannon and takes a bit of a liking to Casey as she works for him. I'll explain why that changed so drastically in _Eagle's Wings_ in just a moment. Anyways, he found out that Casey was his daughter, first by recognizing her from the Miraculous magic that was constantly coming off of her and then having Nathalie get a DNA test and see if he was related to her. _The Daughter of Hawkmoth_ was never completed, but the idea was that Gabriel would attempt to coerce Casey into working with him by being a positive father figure and making her feel welcomed into the Agreste family. Some of it would have been genuine and there's a possibility that it could have ended with a redemption for Gabriel. Alas, we'll never know because I couldn't finish that story even if my life depended on it. 

I think I finally got the balance for Gabriel's character in the _Eagle Miraculous Series_ , with just a little more emphasis on the Hawkmoth aspect of things, especially in _Winds of Change_. I looked at cannon and fannon interpretations of Gabriel to see what parts of his personality were universal and which ones I might be able to take some creative liberty with. From cannon, it is seen that Gabriel is incredibly controlling, manipulative, cunning and obsessive about his goals. Fannon interpretations also tend to give Gabriel a perfectionist attitude, no matter which side they focus on and a domineering personality. In _Eagle's Wings_ I definitely pulled in the perfectionist attitude, which played the second biggest role in Gabriel's relationship with Casey as well as why he was obsessed with reviving Emilie. He wanted to put his perfect family back together, therefore, he needed his perfect wife. When Casey comes into the picture and Gabriel realizes that he doesn't have a perfect family, he becomes determined to either get Casey to work with him or take her out of the picture. That was really what I tried to make clash between the two. Gabriel wanted things neat, orderly, clean and perfect. Casey was messy, rough and not afraid of fixing broken things. 

Of course, what made Casey and Gabriel's relationship as dysfunctional as it was, was the fact that he was Hawkmoth and had previously threatened Evelyn and was currently terrorizing people. From the get-go, the two were never made to have a healthy dynamic. Gabriel only ever really used Casey when he thought she could be a reliable tool. He didn't count on the fact that Casey will throw her secrets into the open if she needs to, unlike him, who thrives off having a pristine reputation. 

Establishing the dynamic between Gabriel and Adrien was basically the exact opposite. While Casey and Gabriel have a blatantly unhealthy relationship, the toxicity in the relationship between Gabriel and Adrien is much more subtle. We as readers and viewers see what's wrong, but it might be harder to pick up on when we don't get to see it from Adrien's perspective. Gabriel does care about Adrien, but he cares more about bringing Emilie back. Hence the things like neglecting Adrien, letting Lila hang around, keeping him stuck in a lot of activities to essentially keep him busy and isolating him from peers and trying to control who Adrien makes friends with. 

In conclusion, Gabe doesn't know how to be a good dad, as his relationship with both of his children are beyond screwed up.


End file.
